Ja'far's Night Off
by BackbittenAmbrosia
Summary: The king of Sindria has decided to give his general the night off, whether he wants it or not.
1. Ja'far's Day Off

Sin was always so adamant about Ja'far having time of leisure that he often went to great lengths to distract Ja'far. This time, his king had gone too far. To hide his scrolls around the palace, of all things, was a major offense to the general. Time was wasting away, and not one scroll was to be found. Did his highness not realize that his work was of great importance? Ja'far sighed, praying that he would be able to finish his work on the morrow.

It was a peaceful night for once. No worries of work, nor stress of being unable to finish in time. That night he'd slept peacefully, just as he had on that day that his king had stopped the blade from killing his target. Who could have ever thought that an assassin would be grateful for being defeated?

In the morn, the first thing that he wakes up to is a pile of scrolls.. Of course. Sinbad had given him the night off only so that he would have double the work load. "I suppose I had better get to it, then." He opens the first scroll, revealing a finished document. There had to be some mistake! He opens three more, every single one completed. His eyes wander up from the scrolls, to the door, where Sinbad remained with his ever present smirk. "You didn't think that I'd let you do all that work for my foolishness, did you?"


	2. Sweet Bread

With the remainder of the day to himself, the general hardly knew what activity to begin with. Were those papyrus scrolls truly all that he had to pass the day? Nimble fingers clasp either of Ja'far's slender shoulders, his king's lips hardly brushing his temple.

"Is there truly nothing that you wish to do today?"

Removing his keffiyeh, Ja'far shakes his head, before giving pause. There was a special treat that he had not had in a while, that sweet bread that he and Sin shared on their travels long ago. Back when times were so much simpler, and it was just the two children crusading across the lands and seas.

"Do you remember the pastry that tasted of honey and dried dates?"

A whole-hearted laugh erupted from Sinbad, nodding his head. Of course, how could he forget? Prior to their journey, the two had stolen those piping hot desserts from baker near the palace in Partevia.

"Fondly. We'll look around town. Maybe Sharrkan knows where we could find some?" Considering the master swordsman was bickering with Yamuraiha in this very moment, he no longer saw that as on option.

"Eh.. On second thought, we should walk around until we find it." Muttered the very annoyed Sindrian king.

"That's not a bad proposition, Sin."

Taking little time to ruffle his hair back into its proper place, Ja'far displaces himself from the bed, subconsciously feeling for red strings along his wrist with his fingers. A mindless precaution, he knew, but he always had to be on edge. Never would he allow harm to come to the soul who had rescued him from a life of endless murder and violence. At the time, he was no better than a rabid dog attacking at his master's will.

"I'm ready when you are!" smile nearly as bright as the sun, it was a stark contradiction to the true nature of the king of the seven seas.

On days when Sinbad grew tired of what he had become, worn with the endless talks of war, and death, he spared a glance at his touchstone. Ja'far meant a great deal more to him than he let on at times, still the words need not be said. There was a silent agreement between the two, a sacred bond that would not dissipate, regardless of how much time had passed.

Today was a good day. Sinbad did not feel as if he were being consumed by the ever-present darkness that dwelled within his being. Seeing the smile on Ja'far lips pulled him out of the shadows, back into the light. He and his Ja'far spoke to their people, even jested, and played with the cities children. Hinahoho often asked him why it was that he took no wife, why he'd not yet had children. All of the citizens of Sindria were his children. He had no need to procreate when he was blessed with thousands who loved him.

'Does this make Ja'far my..?' snatched away by the hand, unable to finish his though, Ja'far guides him to the small bakery that Sharrkan had mentioned not even a week ago.

"Sin, I found it!"


End file.
